Reversible ratchet wrench



1957 l. R. VOGEL REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCH Filed Dec. 27, 1955 INVENTOR.

BY A TTORNEK IRWIN R. VOGEL,

United States Patent REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCH Irwin R. Vogel, Los Angeles, Calif. Application December 27, 1955, Serial No. 555,569 1 Claim. (Cl. 81-62) The present invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to an improved socket wrench of the ratchet type.

Socket wrenches have long been a convenient tool in the construction and servicing of machines, and these wrenches have now come to be considered an essential and almost indispensible tool in the machine art. An important step in the development of socket wrenches has been the provision of a construction which permitted replaceable sockets to be used with one handle, thus enabling a single tool to be used for a variety of bolt or nut sizes. Another important step in the advancement of the socket tool art has been the development of the ratchet wrench which greatly increased the efficiency and ease of operation by these tools.

There are presently on the market ratchet type socket wrenches which are constructed to utilize removable socket elements of different sizes. These wrenches can be purchased in a variety of sizes, with each wrench size being capable of utilizing a set of socket elements extending through a particular range corresponding to that particular wrench. The range of socket elements adapted to any particular wrench size in the prior art was limited because the prior art wrenches contained but a single drive member for the sockets. This meant that the sizes of the sockets had to be adaptable to the dimensions of the corresponding drive member, and this obviously limited the range of sizes of sockets that could be used with any particular wrench. Since the size of socket elements that could be used with any particular prior art wrench was limited, it was necessary to purchase several of these wrenches of different sizes in order to handle a usual variety of nut and bolt sizes encountered in the mechanical arts. However, good quality wrenches of this type are by necessity relatively expensive, and the purchase of several of them represents a considerable capital outlay, especially for individuals such as the home do it yourself workman.

It is accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved socket wrench of the ratchet type which is constructed to use removable socket elements, and which elements can extend through a range of sizes that is materially greater than the range possible with prior art wrenches, thus enabling a single wrench constructed in accordance with the invention to have the general utility of several prior art wrenches of this general type and of different sizes.

A more general object of the invention is to provide an improved removable-socket ratchet wrench capable of utilizing a wide range of socket sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved removable-socket ratchet wrench that may be constructed in a relatively simple and economical manner to utilize a wide range of socket sizes.

The features of the invention which are believed to be new are particularly set forth in the claim. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of an assembled removablesocket ratchet wrench constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of thte wrench;

Figure 3 is a top view of the wrench, enlarged for purposes of clarity and with the cover removed;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figure 3, but with the cover in place; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3, and with the cover in place.

The ratchet socket wrench of the present invention includes a handle portion and a head portion. The head portion has a closed side with an aperture therein, and it also has an open side. The head portion forms a housing for the operating components of the wrench. The wrench includes a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted in the housing. A first socket-receiving member is affixed to one side of the ratchet wheel and extends axially therefrom through the open side of the housing, and a second socket-receiving member is affixed to the opposite side of the ratchet wheel and it extends in an axial direction through the aperture in the closed side of the housing. The first and second socket-receiving members are in axial alignment with one another and are coaxial with the axis of rotation of the ratchet wheel. A manually operated pawl means is pivotally mounted in the housing for selective engagement with the ratchet wheel to provide two mutually opposite ratchet operations.

The construction specified above enables a first set of sockets to be used on the first socket-receiving member, and a second set of sockets to be used on the second socket receiving member. These members may be of difierent sizes so that the two sets of sockets may extend through dilferent size ranges. This enables a single tool to have a wide range of utility.

Reference is now made to the drawing for a more complete description of the socket wrench of the present invention.

The wrench includes a handle portion 10 with an integral head portion 11. The head portion has a closed side 12 with an aperture 13 therein, and the head portion also has an open side 14. With this configuration, the head portion can form a housing for the operating components of the wrench. The wrench itself, including the handle and integral head portion, may be conveniently formed of cast or forged steel.

A ratchet wheel 15 is rotatably mounted in the housing, and it includes a first rectangular socket-receiving member 16 preferably formed integral with one side thereof and with the socket receiving member extending through the open side 14 of the housing. The ratchet wheel also includes a second rectangular socketreceiving member 17 formed integral with its opposite side, and with the member 17 extending in an axial direction through the aperture 13 in the closed side 12 of the housing. The socket-receiving members 16, 17 are in axial alignment with one another and are coaxial or concentric with the axis of rotation of the ratchet wheel 15.

The socket-receiving member 16 has greater transverse and axial dimensions than the member 17, and this enables these members to receive socket elements extending through two respective different size ranges. For example, and as shown in Figure 1, member 17 receives a socket 20 which is held in place by a usual spring loaded ball 17a, and socket 20 may be replaced by other sockets of different sizes throughout a particular size tive pivotal movement in, the. housing about respective.

pivotal axes. 21a and.- 22a. The pawls have respective cylindricalshaped end. portions 23, 24-whichseat in corresponding cylindrical grooves in the head portion of. the wrench, and these end portions have respective integral pins 23a, 24awhich, extend through apertures in the bottom..12 of the housing (see,,for example, Figure 5.).

This construction, enables the pawls. 2.1; and 22. to. be

r freely pivoted about. their respective. pivotal axes. 21a

and 22a.

Spring 'biasingmeans in the form: of coilsprings: 25 and 26 urge thepawlsdnto. mutually oppositev ratchet engagement withthe. ratchet wheel, these springs being mounted. on, the: side of the housing and. engaging the.

respectivepawls.v A cam element 27 is rotatably mounted.

inthe: housing for. selective engagementwith the pawls 21, 22. so. as to move. the. pawls selectively out of engagement with the. ratchet wheel against the corresponding coilspring 25 orv 26. The cam is mounted on. an

integralvshaft 28.. which extends. throughthe bottom 12fof; the housinga-ndwhich is. peened to a manually-operated.

controllmeanssuch as a handle. 29.

It is clear. that-actuation of the handle 29 moves the.

cam 27 from one positionto theother so as to disengage one; or the other of'the pawls. 21", 22-from-the ratchet wheel15; It is also evidentthat whe'npawl21 engages the ratchetrwheel, ratchet movement in one direction may be effected, and'when pawl22engages. the ratchet wheel that ratchet operation in the other direction may be efiectuated;

An' apertured cover 30 fits over the open side 14 of the housing and seats against. an appropriate shoulder so that it may be flushwith the surface of the handle portion. Thesocket-receiving member 16 extends through the aperture in the cover, and the cover engages the ratchet wheel and the pawls to limit axial movement of these members. and to maintain the wrench in an assembled'condi'tion. A pair of'set screws 31, 32 extend ing throughrtheb'ottom 12serve to hold' the cover in place.

Although a particular cam-controlled pawl arrangement has been shown, it is evident thatother known types may be used.

Thetinventionprovides; therefore, an improved ratchet type: socket wrench which 'is constructed'i'n a'simple and.

expedient manner to; enable socket elements of two distinct, size ranges selectively to be carried thereby.

This'materially increases the flexibility and utilityof the wrench, as compared with prior art wrenches of this general type, and this is achieved'by the expedient of providing a second integral socket-receiving member on the reversible pawl-operated ratchet wheel of the wrench.

Although the now preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto, for it is susceptible'to'changes in form and detail within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A reversible ratchetitype socket wrench for use with two sets ofsocket elementseach of suchsets being cooperable with different size drive members and covering different ranges in size, saidlwrenchcomprising: a wrench head having a handle extending laterally outwardly therefrom, said head being hollow to form a housing; a solid rotary member journaled in said housing, said member having a. first. integral solid socket-receiving portion of rectangular. cross-sectional configuration extending axially, outwardly of said rotary member from one side of said.

housing, said socket-receiving portion forming a square drive) member of a size to accommodate socket elements. of. one. of the two. sets, a secondintegral solid socketreceivingportion of rectangular cross-sectional configuration' extending axially outwardly ofsaid'rotary member from the opposite side of'said'liousing, said second socketreceiving portion being ofa smaller cross-sectional di mension than said first socket-receiving portion and forming a square drive member ofI a size to accommodatesocket elements of the-other ofv thetwo' sets; said rotary member further having an integral. ratchet wheel portion; and reversible p aw1"mean's mountedin said housing,

adjacent said ratchetiwlieel; means to. selectively engage said'pawl'means with saidl'ratchet wheel portion to hold the solid rotary member for rotation with said head in the direction ofwrench operationias desired.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 663,294 Nesley Dec. 4', 1900 745,886 Musk'ett et al'. Dec. 1', 1903" 1,203,685 Baker Nov; 7, 1916' 1,481,401 Wentling Jan. 22, 1924" 1,578,065 Bemus et all Mar. 23, 1926 1,670,547 North May 22 1928 1,816;'968 Gre-ntma-net al. Aug; 4, 1931 2,107,568 Haist Feb. 8} 1938' 2,202,402 Rueb May 28; 1940' 2,471,194 Capps May 24, 1949' 

